WARNING SHOT
Boro boss: Our defending has to better. We made too many errors be much
NEIL WARNOCK admitted he didn’t have a clue why his previously impregnable defence fell apart.
Having conceded just six goals all season, his Boro side leaked three in 48 minutes.
Asked what caused the uncharacteristic blip, the veteran Boro boss said: “I haven’t a clue to be honest. You might as well have a guess...”
Warnock (right) was trying to inject humour after a setback that underlined just how tough it is to make the promotion mix in the Championship.
Middlesbrough, brilliant in the first half-hour, went ahead through Marvin Johnson and wasted two other good chances as they gave Huddersfield the runaround.
Britt Assombalonga bullied defenders, and Marcus Tavernier drove at heart of the Town defence and kept slipping dangerous balls to Johnson on the left. Then came a chaotic last hour, not helped by a soaked pitch, fatigue, and a series of mistakes.
Carel Eiting and Fraizer Campbell put Huddersfield 2- 1 up by half- time before Assombalonga’s 83rd-minute penalty, awarded when Naby Sarr brought him down ( below), hauled Boro level.
Josh Koroma’s brilliant finish five minutes from time sealed three points for Town.
Warnock, trying to explain the inexplicable, said: “We just made errors. There was a lack of communication but I can’t fault them for effort. We have done well defending of late so it is disappointing.”
Huddersfield manager Carlos Corberan believes Town have a real prospect in matchwinner Koroma, the Londonborn striker who moved north from Leyton Orient in 2019.
Corberan said: “He is young and if you want to do something important you have to take a lot on yourself. He scored, created movement and defended.”
Huddersfield are now only a couple of wins away from being in the p lay - of f mix themselves.
Their skipper Jonathan Hogg said: “Koroma was out in the cold last year but has come back flying this season. He’s lost a lot of body weight and his fitness has been fantastic. Results lately haven’t been what our performances deserved.” HUDDERSFIELD: Schofield 6, Bacuna 6 (Duhaney 78, 6), Stearman 6 (Edmonds-Green 30), Sarr 6, Toffolo 7, Eiting 7, Hogg 7, O’Brien 7, Mbenza 6 (Brown 90), Koroma 8 (Rowe 90), Campbell 7 (Ward 78). MIDDLESBROUGH: Bettinelli 5, Dijksteel 5 (Watmore 88), Fry 5, McNair 6, Bola 5, Spence 4, Saville 5 (Wing 90), Howson 6, Tavernier 6 (Akpom 66, 5), Johnson 6, Assombalonga 5
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